


Still a date if not everyone's aware, right?

by SophiaHoppia



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: First Date, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Mild Language, Multi, Texting, Underage Drinking, brotherhood era, if you know me you know there's always a happy end, not much don't worry, point of view changes with every chapter, really just a tiny little bit, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 06:37:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12315747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/pseuds/SophiaHoppia
Summary: Noctis planned the perfect date and invites Gladio, Ignis and Prompto. He just kinda forgot to mention it was a date. But the others would know anyway, wouldn't they?See how the boys struggle through their feelings and hopes as they try to figure out if their feelings are mutual or not.ChocobrosWeeks 2017 - Day 1: First Date





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [Chocobrosweek 2017](https://chocobrosweek.tumblr.com/), first prompt: First Date!  
>  This was supposed to be short. But it escalated.
> 
> Thanks at [Belli](http://archiveofourown.org/users/SunshineBabyCrow) for beta-reading!

Noctis couldn't repress an excited smile as he walked through the halls of the Citadel. He had everything planned out perfectly. Ignis would be proud of him! At least as soon as he knew about it. Everything would go the way he had imagined it, ending in nothing but perfection. The perfect first date! All that was left to do, was invite his companions. No, they were more than companions, more like: love interests? Though it was kind of embarrassing to call them that. Wasn't there a better term?

His thoughts got interrupted as he reached the slightly ajar door of the training room and heard Gladio's determined voice, "I know what you are feeling," followed by a slight gasp from another person. A tiny voice inside of him told the prince to just walk away and come back later but Noct never was one to listen to his inner voice of reason. Especially if he could learn more about Gladio instead. Even if it meant spying through the tiny gap of the slightly opened door and see Gladio press his lips against Ignis's.

Wait, Gladio and Ignis? Why didn't he know anything about this? Before he could answer his own question, he saw his advisor harshly shoving away his shield, rubbing his lips with the back of his hand, "I am not looking for a substitute!"  
"That's not what I meant, I-" Gladio's answer got interrupted by a loud squeak and Noctis found himself getting stared at by his two... well, _love interests_. Oh. He didn't even realize he had pushed open the squeaking door.   
Ignis's cheeks turned red and he pushed Gladio away from him even further, "N-Noct!"

Noctis really wanted to know what just happened.   
Giving the disheveled look of his tactician, glasses askew, a few strains of hair hanging down onto his forehead and the kiss he just witnessed, he didn't need to be a detective to conclude what had happened. But he wanted to know why. Since when? And what exactly? But Gladio's horrified look and Ignis's red cheeks were two things he wasn't used to at all and he really didn't want to make them even more uncomfortable. Better play dumb, right? 

He cleared his throat, trying to sound as normal as possible, "Oh hi! Just the guys I was looking for. I'm sorry for interrupting your training session."  
He could see Ignis's eyes going wide before he let out a deep gush of air, as if he forgot how to breathe before, and took on his usual composed look. "Don't worry, we finished just now."  
The advisor adjusted his glasses and walked over to his prince, "What can I do for you?"

"Actually, I wanted to ask you both if you are free on Saturday?"   
" _This_ Saturday?" Ignis sounded a little perplex, "You mean the day after tomorrow? There are several meetings I have to attend. Plus, I also have to clean out your apartment again. And we have to study for your economics test next week as well as-"  
"Ignis, please! I have already bought the tickets," Noctis interrupted his tactician before he could finish telling him his always overloaded schedule.  
"Tickets? For what exactly if I may ask?" The advisor sounded confused.  
"For Insomniaqua! You know? This aquarium. The big one with water and... fish. I want to go there. With Prompto and you two," Noctis explained before he almost sheepishly added, "If you... even want to go." He wasn't so sure anymore after what he just saw. Maybe they preferred to spend some time without him? Or maybe Ignis preferred to spend some time alone on the weekend. He wasn't so sure anymore after what he just witnessed.   
"Don't you think this is a little on short notice? You need to thoroughly plan a trip like this and check everyone's schedule before you-"  
"I did plan everything!" Noctis shouted as he lost his patience and almost regretted it as he saw Ignis's astonished expression. Taking a deep breath, he continued with a calmer voice, "It's all planned through, you can believe me. And you _always_ have a busy schedule, so it doesn't change a thing if I ask you a few hours or weeks before. Please, Iggy. This is important to me," he almost sounded pleading in the end.  
"Noct..." Ignis was too surprised to complain any further.  
"Well, I've got time," Gladio joined the conversation, "and if you go to such a bustling place, I need to accompany you as your shield anyway."  
"You don't have to do this out of duty, Gladio!!"  
He really was starting to lose his nerves now. Why? This wasn't going as smooth as he had planned. Here he was, thinking he would just walk over here, ask them out on a date and they would agree. But now he walked in on them secretly making out or arguing or what-did-he-know-they-did and they don't even want to accompany him out of their own will?!  
"Whoa, whoa, calm down, Princess. What are you so angry about? It's okay, really. I wanna go with you," Gladio tried to calm him down.   
Noctis looked up at Gladio reassuringly smiling at him. This brought a little smile to his own lips and he turned his head to look at Ignis expectantly.   
The tactician cleared his throat, "What time on Saturday?"  
"1 o'clock at Insomniaqua!" Noctis happily replied.  
"Okay, I have an important meeting in the morning but I'll manage somehow. I'll rearrange everything else and be there on time," Ignis smiled at him before he turned around and went, "If you would excuse me now, I'm busy."

Gladio sighed as soon as Ignis left the room. Noctis looked at him questioningly, though Gladio only sighed again and remorsefully scratched the back of his neck, "I might have angered him a little... but don't worry about it."  
The shield ruffled through Noct's hair and left as well.

~

After more or less successfully inviting his advisor and shield, the prince went back to his apartment. Laying down on the sofa, he pulled out his phone to text Prompto.

Noctis: _You free on Saturday?_

Prompto: _Of course!!_ ヽ(○･▽･○)ﾉﾞ

Prompto: _Why?_ (^・ω・^ )

Noctis: _Wanna come to Insomniaqua with me?_

Prompto: _Yeah!!_ (•̀ᴗ•́)و ̑̑

Noctis: _Nice! 1 o'clock at the entrance. Already got the tickets. We'll meet up with Iggy and Gladio there._

Prompto: _Oh.. they are coming as well?_ ヾ(๑ ³ㅿ³)ﾉ

Noctis: _Yeah, is that a problem?_

Prompto: _No, no! Of course not!_ ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ

Noctis: _Great! See you tomorrow at school_

Prompto: _See you!_ ♪( ‘Θ’)ﾉ~☆


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date at Insomniaqua from Ignis's point of view!

Ignis sighed as he had to stop at the next red traffic light. He wasn't used to such crowded streets on a Saturday noon. The meeting in the morning had taken longer than planned and he was forced to drive from the Citadel directly to Insomniaqua, without stopping at home before. 

A quick look at the clock told him it was ten minutes before their arranged meeting time. With a little luck, he could still make it on time. It wouldn't really be a problem if he got there a little late but he wouldn't want to be a bad example for his prince. Especially since he always preached the importance of being on time to him. 

The last hours and yesterday had been very stressful. To make room for today's afternoon and evening, Ignis had to rearrange his schedule. Which caused his Friday to be overloaded with even more work than usual. At least he had managed to get three hours of sleep last night. To be honest, he had been prepared to work through the _whole_ night. The amount of workload was stressing him out but he welcomed it as well. While he worked, his mind was concentrating on his duties and he didn't have to think about his encounter with Gladio the other day. They had talked about their affection towards Noct and, as Gladio seemed to be on a similar level of feelings as Ignis himself was, he admitted these- in his opinion -inappropriate feelings towards their prince as well. Maybe it was a mistake to tell anyone about it. To even say it out loud was outrageous itself. But there was something in Gladio's eyes. A special look he just couldn't deny anything. But as the shield suddenly shoved him against the wall and pressed his lips upon his own, Ignis got angry. It wasn't that he disliked getting his first kiss from Gladio. He had harbored feelings for the strong but gentle man ever since he realized he was gay during puberty. But this kiss wasn't about Gladio and him. It was about both of them not getting Noct and when he thought about it this way, he just felt used. He neither wanted a substitute for Noct nor did he want to _be_ one. 

A honk from behind interrupted his thoughts and he saw that the lights had turned green. He really should pay more attention to his surroundings and not get lost in his thoughts during driving.

Luck wasn't on his side today, so Ignis arrived about 10 minutes late. After finally finding a free space at the crowded parking lot, he jogged over to the entrance, where the other three were already waiting for him. Seeing the annoyed and disappointed look on Noct's face he immediately regretted his lateness- not that it was his fault.

"I'm sorry for being late. The meeting went on longer than planned and the streets were unusually crowded. Though those are no excuses. I should have planned my schedule more carefully," he explained and even bowed to the others.  
"It's okay, at least you are here now. Let's go inside!" Noctis turned around at once and the others stood there perplexed for a moment before they caught on. 

At the entrance Noct showed their tickets and they were offered some water creature themed caps. They had hats that looked like crabs, dolphins, whales or some glittering rainbow fish? Ignis wasn't sure if a fish looking like this really existed but especially the younger children around them seemed to love them. When he was offered one of the hats he politely declined. Gladio did so as well.

"Oh come on, you are no fun!" the prince complained as he put a dolphin cap onto his own head.  
"Yeah, you are missing half of the fun already! At least take one with you for your little sister, Gladio?" Prompto joined in as he chose a whale cap for himself and took a selfie of him and the prince with these ridiculous caps on their heads. 

Gladio chuckled, "It's enough fun, to watch you guys wearing these!"   
Ignis silently hummed in agreement.  
With this blue cap and his casual black clothes most of the people around them wouldn't even recognize their prince. Now that he had the time to really look at the others, he almost felt slightly overdressed with his dress shirt. It wasn't unusual for Noctis and Prompto to wear some casual clothes. They always did so on the weekends when they were playing video games at Noct's apartment. But even Gladio wasn't wearing his training or Crownsguard gear, but instead dark blue jeans and a white, tight muscle shirt which left no room for imagination. 

"I'll be right back, wait here," the prince announced before he disappeared into the crowd without waiting for an answer from his companions.  
Prompto looked after him almost in panic before he turned around and looked nervously from Gladio to Ignis and back while fiddling with his thumbs.  
"Is everything alright, Prompto?" Ignis asked concerned.  
"Yes, of course! It's just... I'm... not sure if I should be here," the blonde sheepishly admitted.  
"Noct invited you, didn't he?" Gladio asked, obviously confused.  
"Well yeah, but... why?" the young male looked at them searching for an answer.

Why indeed? Ignis wasn't sure himself. Before they could think and talk about this more, Noctis got back, handing a can of Ebony over to Ignis, "Here!"  
He received it out of reflex and looked at his prince in confusion.  
"You look tired," the younger male explained, "Yesterday must have been crazy for getting today off, right?" Noctis hit the nail on the head. Ignis was tired beyond words because of all the stress rearranging his schedule had brought with it.   
"What? Don't you want it? _My advisor_ told me to be grateful for gifts and tell your thanks accordingly," the prince went on as Ignis didn't react at all until now.  
Ignis chuckled, "Your advisor seems to be very wise. Thank you for the Ebony. It's very much appreciated," he said, throwing a fond smile at Noct.

"Where should we go first?" Prompto asked as he studied a brochure of the Aquarium.   
"Let's watch the dolphin show first, it should start soon," Noctis answered at once. Ignis was still surprised, how prepared the dark-haired male seemed to be. This day must be really important for him like he told them before. But why? Thinking about everything rationally... it almost appeared to be a date. But that couldn't be, could it? 

As they arrived at the dolphin show, most of the places were already crowded but they somehow managed to find four free seats to sit together. Prompto sat down at first and Noctis took the seat next to him. True to his nature as a shield, Gladio chose the seat next to Noct which left Ignis no choice but to sit down next to the shield himself. Usually, Ignis wouldn't mind, but he still hadn't forgotten about their little... _interaction_ the day before yesterday. And they had yet to talk about it. Though this really wasn't the right time or place, so he should be safe for now. He knew they eventually _had_ to talk about it but he wasn't ready for it. First he'd have to prepare his thoughts accordingly.

The applause of the other spectators around them took him back to reality and he saw a woman enter the small stage next to the pool. Apparently, the show was starting. She spoke a few words of introduction before the dolphins came swimming into the pool. 

Relaxingly, Ignis leaned back and finally opened the can of Ebony Noctis had given to him. The first sip always felt like a true blessing. The cool liquid slid down his throat and he already felt his impending headache slip away. Ah... never underestimate the power of caffeine. 

It was the first time he had seen a dolphin show in real life. Of course, he read about it and saw it in some movies, still, the real deal was something else. The show itself wasn't anything special for him but the atmosphere was nice. People were cheering and happily applauding every time the dolphins managed to do their little performances. 

Through all the cheering Prompto's voice stood out the most for him. The blonde guy was cheering with all his might and as he leaned forward, casually throwing a side glance at him, he saw that the young one was taking pictures with his camera almost non-stop. It brought a smile to Ignis's lips. He would prefer to watch the energetic blonde instead of the dolphins all the time, but it would be inappropriate to stare, so he directed his attention back to the show in front of him.

After getting absorbed in a few tricks the dolphins did, he realized the beautiful cheering noises of his favorite blonde had quieted down. Wondering, he threw another quick glance to his side and spotted Prompto with a bright red head. His camera laid in his lap, tightly gripped by his right hand, while his left hand was... oh. His left hand was in Noct's right hand. The prince's cheeks also looked a little flushed.

The tactician suddenly felt like he was intruding on something he shouldn't see. Leaning back immediately, he almost buried himself in his seat and forced his eyes straightforward to the show.

Maybe he was right about the idea of this being a date. A date between Noctis and Prompto. Could it be Noctis had only been too shy to go alone? Or... did he misinterpret the situation with him and Gladio the other day and wanted to make this a double date? Did he think there was something going on between him and his shield?

As if he could read his thoughts, Gladio's strong, warm hand suddenly appeared on Ignis's right knee, gripping it softly but still firmly. Too firmly to be a coincidence. Oh no. Ignis didn't like this at all. Without as much as throwing a glance at Gladio, he pulled away his knee, crossing his right leg over his left.

Despite his quickened heartbeat he tried to put his focus back on the show. What was he even doing here?! He took another sip of his Ebony. Maybe he was overreacting. Maybe he was thinking about this too much. Maybe he just interpreted everything the wrong way. Maybe he was stupid? Never thought he would think about himself this way. But he _was_ acting kind of silly, wasn't he? Whatever happened between him and Gladio the other day, he still liked the man very much. Liked him very, very much. He still refused to think about the other man with the L-word, but deep inside he knew it was lov- no. He wouldn't let his thoughts wander this far. But that was exactly why he wanted Gladio to love him just the way he loved him. 

_Love_... now he had done it. No going back now. He loved Gladio just as much as he loved Noct. And... maybe even Prompto. The cute blonde had found a way inside of Ignis's heart despite all the walls he had built up around him. 

Ignis threw a short glance to his side and his eyes widened in shock as he saw the look on Gladio's face. He was looking down, not watching the show at all. And he seemed... sad? Disappointed? Rejected? Oh no, he couldn't stand this expression on the shield's otherwise always strong and proud looking face. One wouldn't look this bad if you had only get rejected as a substitute for someone else, would you? 

Maybe... maybe there was more to it than Ignis had thought the past two days. Maybe they should have talked about it right away. Perhaps Ignis should stop being a stupid scaredy cat and try to fix this before it was too late. He took his can of Ebony into the left hand and slightly moved his right hand towards Gladio. Slowly and carefully. Why was he getting shy now? He stopped when the back of his hand softly collided with the back of Gladio's left hand. It was a small gesture if at all. But the shield seemed to get it. The advisor felt Gladio looking at him and saw the smile reappearing on the shield's face out of the corner of his eye. Encouraged by this reaction he linked his pinkie finger with Gladio's and couldn't stop a smile from forcing its way onto his own lips as well. His heart beat so loud he could feel it in his whole body and the skin on his hand tingled where it touched Gladio's. He had his eyes on the dolphin show in front of him, but he couldn't concentrate on it at all. Instead, his whole body and mind seemed to focus on the feelings the other male evoked inside of him.

Having lost track of time the show ended more quickly than he thought and he reluctantly let go of the other's hand as he got up. Looking at his other companions he was met with Prompto's still red face and an unusual, but beautiful smile on Noct's face.

As they stood there in rather awkward silence, Gladio took it upon him to speak his thoughts, "So, what's up next?"  
"We are at an Aquarium, so let's go and watch the fish!" Noctis stated the obvious, "They should be around here. Let's go!"  
"Y-yeah, let's go!" Prompto not only stumbled upon his words but over his own feet as well. Like a true photographer, he tightly held onto his camera, which hung around his neck on a carrying strap, bracing himself for the fall and let his face meet the ground, but Gladio's reflexes were fast enough to catch him before he got hurt. "Easy there, sunshine!"  
"Ah... oh. Thanks!" Prompto looked really embarrassed, "Wait... _sunshine_?!"  
"Oh... um. Yeah. You are like a little sunshine. Deal with it!" Gladio rubbed his neck. Ignis knew the other well enough, to know this was a habit showing the other's nervousness.  
"I-i-it's okay! I don't mind! Not at all, whoooa!" Prompto somehow managed to trip over his feet again. Ignis let out a little sigh. He didn't know why but this clumsiness was somehow really adorable.

The trained shield skillfully caught Prompto again, "That's enough. You're gonna hurt yourself if you don't slow down a little."   
"Sorry, it's just... I'm... a little excited? I mean. Because of the dolphins! Nothing else, there is no other reason! It's, I'm... um... why are you still holding my hand?" Prompto sounded really flustered.  
"Because it's safer this way," Gladio smirked teasingly before he added, "Nothing else, there is no other reason."

Ignis threw away his empty can of Ebony as he watched the exchange between the other two men. Noctis slowed down a little to walk beside him, "You okay?"  
"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"  
"Well... I'm not sure. Is everything okay between Gladio and you? Did something happen during the show just now or... after training the other day?" the prince sounded really concerned.  
"Oh... no, it's alright again. Don't worry about it," Ignis showed him an honest smile.   
"You sure?" Noctis still looked a little skeptical, "But okay. If you say so, I'll believe you. Just tell me, if something bothers you. Whatever it is. You can always tell me, okay?"  
Ignis stopped walking to look at Noct. His prince had slowed down as well and even the cap and his bangs couldn't hide the flush creeping unto his face.  
"Thank you, Noct. I will."

"Hey! You comin'?" Gladio yelled, waving at them from afar.  
"We'll be right there!" Ignis answered and expectantly looked at Noct.  
The black-haired male grabbed the sleeve of his advisor's shirt and started walking again. He still had his gaze turned down, ears brightly red.

Ignis wasn't sure what to make out of Noct's behavior. First, he was holding hands with Prompto, now he clung onto his shirt and was embarrassed about it? Well, he had invited them _all_... If he thought about it this way, it could also seem like a polyamorous date instead of a double date. But... could this be? The evidence was in favor for it but maybe it was just Ignis's wishful thinking.

He could always _ask_ Noct about it, but somehow he wasn't confident enough to do so. Instead, he loosened Noct's grip on his shirt to take the other's hand into his own. As the prince looked at him in wonder, he just smiled, which caused Noct to smile as well.   
Well... maybe he was right after all and this was a date for them all.

~

They reached the huge aquarium after a short while. They were walking through a tunnel and the walls were all huge water tanks, harboring many different fish.  
"Whooooaaa!!" Ignis could almost see the sparkles in Prompto's eyes and chuckled. Watching his blonde friend as well, Noctis added, "He's really cute."  
"Indeed. He is," Ignis stated and Noct's cheeks turned red again.  
"Oh... did I say this out loud?"   
"You did. But I don't mind. It's true," he smiled at his young prince.

"Hey, Noct!" Prompto called him over sounding really enthusiastic, "Look at this weird fish! Have you ever seen something like this before?"  
The blonde had let go of Gladio's hand by now and was taking pictures with his camera.

Ignis let go of Noct's hand as well, as they walked over to Prompto and a rather unimpressed Gladio saying, "It's just a fish."  
"Dude!!" Prompto and Noctis complained in unison.  
"It's not just any fish," Ignis began to explain, "It's a Crimson Trevally, domiciled in the south region of Leide around Galdin Quay."   
"Ooooh! Iggy sure knows his stuff!" Prompto happily beamed at him, "And what's this one called?"  
The energetic blonde walked a few steps and pointed at another fish passing by. Ignis smiled fondly before he followed him and told him everything he knew about it in great detail: its name, its habitat, the natural enemies and so on. 

As he heard a grumbling Noctis, he looked over to their prince and his shield, "I could have explained it, too." The pouting look on his face was really adorable. Gladio laughed whole-heartedly and laid his hand on the prince's lower back, "You can tell _me_ about it, Princess."  
"Do you even care?" Noctis didn't sound convinced but began to tell the taller man what he knew anyway. It was obvious that Gladio didn't really care that much about the fish, but the look on his face showed the tactician that he just enjoyed listening to Noct's voice. The prince still pouted at the beginning but soon his voice picked up some pace and he sounded almost energetic. Maybe he had planned to impress them all with his knowledge?   
Ignis should probably apologize to him later for taking over the explanation and unconsciously pulling Prompto away, "Iggy?"  
The prince had told him, this day was important to him.   
"Iggy???"   
And he had proved it with his unusual behavior. He really had planned out everything thoroughly and was observant about the needs of those around him.   
"Ignis!!" A warm body pressing against his back and two hands clinging onto his shoulders pulled him out of his thoughts. Prompto was leaning against him, his head poutingly laying on his shoulder next to his hand. _Dear Astrals_... were Noctis and him competing about the cutest pout on Eos? 

The advisor cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, "My apologies. What did you say?"  
"I wanted to know about the other fish over there!" Prompto pointed at it with his index finger, before he put his hand back unto Iggy's shoulder. The sudden closeness and warmth were something new for Ignis. He didn't mind it at all but he had to admit it was somehow harder to concentrate on explaining about fish while he felt the blonde's breath so close to his neck. 

They went along the large fish tanks, while Ignis and Noctis shared their knowledge with the others.

The tactician wasn't sure how much time had passed until they reached the end of the long aquarium corridor. The owner of Insomniaqua proved to be a clever economist because they had placed the merchandise shop between the aquariums and the exit. Surely a lot of people would buy more stuff directly after walking through this impressive scenery. Next to the shop was an area, looking like a small arcade. They had a fish rodeo, a Justice Monsters Five pinball machine with some fish stickers on it- very creative -and one of these photo booths. What were they called again?

"Ooh!! They have a Purikura!! We have to take a photo together, guys!" Prompto pointed at the machine with excitement.  
Ah yes, _Purikura_. That was the name.  
"Didn't you already take pictures with your camera?" Gladio sounded like he didn't get it at all.   
"Aaaw.. come on, big guy! These are two totally different things!" the blonde began to pout again.  
"Okay, okay! Let's take a picture," the shield gave in immediately and Prompto smiled triumphantly. Huh... looks like Prompto finally knew about the power of his pout and began to use it against them. Such wickedness; he really wouldn't have put past the younger male. But it was somehow _alluring_.

"What are you grinning about?" Noct's almost moping voice reached his ears and he flashed his prince an almost evil grin.  
"Nothing."  
"That's creepy, Iggy," the black-haired male retorted but Ignis heard in the other's voice that he didn't really mean it that way.  
"Are you jealous?" It was a bold question. And he almost regretted it as soon as it came out. He really shouldn't jump to conclusions and let his feelings overtake his mind. What if he had misinterpreted this whole date thing after all? Maybe it was supposed to be just a nice day with friends. Maybe he shouldn't just outright start to flirt if he wasn't sure of the other's feelings. Maybe he... Here we go again, thinking about all the _maybes_ and _what-ifs_.  
"I'm not jealous if it's about Gladio or Prom," Noct interrupted his trail of thoughts once again today, "because I can relate to your feelings. Like... really! So stop overthinking everything, Iggy. Just be yourself and enjoy this day. Then again... overanalyzing things is just a part of your character," the prince flashed him a smile before he quickly caught up to Gladio and an impatiently waiting Prompto.

Ignis smiled. Who would have thought, the day would come when his prince was lecturing _him_ instead. It really was a special day.

Taking a photo inside the Purikura machine proved to be more difficult than expected. Gladio's large figure almost filled out the whole booth on its own.  
"I don't think this will work," Ignis voiced his concerns.  
"No, it has to work out somehow! We just have to huddle together," Prompto showed them his pout again.  
Gladio sighed, "Calm down, sunshine. We will find a solution." The advisor expectantly raised an eyebrow at him, but the shield only nervously scratched the back of his neck, "Well... um... you could sit on my lap?"

Prompto's face took on the color of a ripe tomato.   
"Sure, why not," Noctis answered casually and started to push Gladio inside the booth. The shield sat down on the small bench inside and Noct placed himself on his right leg. Prompto and Ignis still hadn't moved one bit.  
"What are you two waiting for?" the large man asked.   
"I still don't think we are all going to fit inside..." Ignis said skeptically.  
"Come on, Iggy, Prom. Let's try it at least," Noctis called them over.  
Prompto slowly moved inside the small cabin and shyly sat down on Gladio's left leg. As the strong man put his hand on the blonde's waist, a high shrieked yelp left his mouth. Ignis chuckled. That sounded way too cute. As he stood there and watched them in amusement, they all looked at him expectantly until Gladio called him over _again_ , "Iggy, I'm serious. Get your fine ass over here already!"   
Despite his cool and composed demeanor Ignis blushed and almost stuttered, "M-my _what_?" 

He sighed before he started to walk towards the booth nonetheless, "How exactly do you expect for me to fit in there as well?"   
"Wanna sit on my third leg?" Gladio showed him the most smug grin he had ever seen and wiggled his eyebrows. If Ignis wasn't as red as Prompto before, he definitely was now, "Gladiolus!!!"  
Prompto had somehow managed to not die from overheating and was strictly facing the ground, obviously trying to concentrate on anything else besides his wandering thoughts. At least that's how it looked like to Ignis. And the tactician had always excelled at interpreting behaviors.   
"You really have no shame at all, do you?" Noctis asked his shield even though he probably already knew the answer.  
"None. I have nothing to be ashamed about," Gladio just kept grinning at Noctis before he turned his attention back to Ignis, "Come on, now. Just crouch down between my legs."

Was Ignis's mind more perverted than he thought or did this sound _suggestive_ again?  
He thought it best to not think about it too much and wriggled himself past Prompto and into the small photo booth, where he crouched down between the three men, facing the small monitor.

"O-okay... let's do this!" Prompto announced as he nervously started the process with his sweaty fingers, choosing a frame and some sparkly special effects.  
They all smiled kind of awkward or embarrassed as the countdown for the photo went down. Ignis saw the grin on Gladio's face shortly before the photo was shot but his eyes still widened in surprise as he suddenly heard the two young males around him squeak in surprise.  
Right at the moment, the photo got taken.  
"Dude!!" Noctis complained right away, "Did you just pinch my ass?!"  
Before he answered, Gladio pressed the print button on the machine and still laughed loudly, "Your faces were awesome!"

"That wasn't fair at all!!" Prompto complained and left the cabin to take a look at the printed photos outside. The others followed and stared at the pictures as well.  
"These are indeed some... very special photos," Ignis murmured as he mustered them. The photos showed Gladio flashing a big grin as he pinched Noctis's and Prompto's butts. The two young boys sat up as straight as never before, their cheeks red and eyes wide. Ignis himself wasn't looking much better. His eyes had also widened due to their sudden screams. It was crazy and totally something only Gladio would dare to do. But it was somehow... hilarious?   
Noctis startled to chuckled beside him, "Prompto, you look like a roused chocobo!!"   
"Dude!! I do _not_!" the young blonde complained as Gladio started to laugh again.  
"It's a lovely photo," Ignis said before he started to laugh as well. It wasn't often that he was able to let go of himself like this, but it really _was hilarious_. Was this how teenagers felt like? Doing crazy things others just wouldn't understand and roll their eyes about? Maybe he did miss something during his youth.

Prompto sulked at first before he joined in on everyone's laughter.  
Noctis calmed down at first and wiped away a tear that had formed at the corner of his eye from all his laughter, "That was almost exhausting."  
"Indeed," Ignis confirmed, "my cheeks are hurting."  
"That's because you two are laughing way too infrequently!" Gladio sounded almost lecturing and patted their shoulders.

"I'm still angry, Gladio!" the photographer complained and tried to flash the large man his usual pout, but the corner of his mouth twitched up as he just couldn't stop smiling.  
"Yeah, yeah. I'll make it up to you," Gladio waved his hand, "So, what about these photos? You wanna keep all four of them?"  
"Of course not! Everyone gets one," he answered and passed them around to each one of them.

A small chuckle left the prince's mouth again, "Thanks, Prom. Next time I'm annoyed from all my royal duties, I'll just look at this and laugh."  
"Hehe, that's a good idea!" Prompto smiled back at him.

Ignis fondly watched their exchange as he realized they hadn't planned what to do next. Or maybe Noct _had_ it planned but didn't tell them so far. The advisor wasn't used to rely on others for the next step, "So, what's up next?"  
"The merchandise shop!" Prompto announced, pointing towards it and taking off in its direction before either of them could protest. Noctis had his mouth opened to announce something else, but he just smiled at Ignis in defeat and added, "Apparently the merchandise shop."

Not one to disobey his prince, Ignis followed them inside the small shop. He just hoped they wouldn't buy too many unnecessary goods. Giving the excited look on the blonde's face this hope would be in vain, though. 

The shop offered exactly what you'd expect from a typical tourist shop. There were all sorts of shirts, hats, bags, plushies, postcards and more. Everything with the Insomniaqua logo and some fish, dolphins or other sea inhabitants on it. They even had small everyday things like mugs, stationery, towels and so on. To be honest there was nothing that really caught Ignis's attention.

"Oh my gods, I _must_ have this!!" Prompto's convinced voice made it clear, that he felt different. The tactician wasn't sure if he really wanted to know what caught the young one's attention but it would be rude to outright ignore his outburst.   
As he turned around Noct had already joined his best friend and was examining what he had found, "Oh, that's kinda cute. And just perfect for you."  
"I know!!" Prompto smiled and expectantly showed his discovery to Ignis and Gladio as well. It was a phone strap, a little yellow chocobo wearing... a dolphin costume? Instead of the fins, its wings peaked out of the costume and you could see its whole face instead of the dolphins. It looked kind of weird to Ignis with the chocobo feet sticking out of the underside of a dolphin... but if Prompto really loved it, who was he to judge.

"You sure, you absolutely wanna have this?" Gladio's deep voice didn't show what he thought about the little strap.  
"Yeah, absolutely totally really sure!" Prompto nodded and started to look for his wallet.  
"Save it, I'll buy it for you," Gladio said casually and took the strap from Prompto's hand, going straight the sales clerk.  
"Huh?? You don't have to!" Prompto got flustered and followed after him.  
"I want to, so no complaining. Think about it as compensation for earlier," the shield explained.  
"But... you don't have to! I wasn't really angry, you know," the blonde explained, his voice growing quieter towards the end.  
"Yeah, I know," Gladio said soothingly, "Still wanna buy it for you anyway."   
"But-"  
"No buts," the shield cut him off as he handed the strap and money over to the employee. The man gave him his change and packed the strap inside a cute little paper bag, handing it back to Gladio. Saying their thanks, the shield turned around and wordlessly handed the present to Prompto.  
After a short moment of hesitation, the photographer took it and thanked him for it. Gladio just smiled, ruffled through Prompto's hair and only laughed when the younger one complained about it, "Dude, my hairdo!!"

"Want something as well?" Gladio casually asked in the general direction of Ignis and Noctis.  
"No, thanks," the advisor declined immediately.  
"And you, Princess?"  
"I want you to stop calling me Princess!" Noctis grumbled.  
"Not happening, Princess. Anything else?"  
The prince only sighed and didn't say anything else.  
"Why don't you get something for Iris?" Prompto suggested. The blonde seemed to know well how much the strong man cared about his little sister.  
"Nah... she's only gonna yell at me for going here without her," Gladio shook his head in denial.  
"Wouldn't she be upset as well when she knew you went here and didn't even bring her anything back as a souvenir?" Ignis asked in wonder.  
The big brother sighed, "She's gonna be furious either way. I'll just take her here another day and buy her something she wants on occasion." 

"Why didn't you take her with you today, anyway?" Prompto's innocent question caused the others to stand still and stare at him.  
"Huh? Di-did I say something wrong?" The blonde knew right away he had messed up somehow, he just didn't seem to get how exactly.  
"I didn't invite her, Prom," Noctis carefully said.  
"Um, yeah. I know. Just wondered why?" the photographer turned his head in confusion, looking at all three of them. Ignis cleared his throat but didn't have the courage to speak up. Noct had planned this day, so it fell upon him to clear up this misunderstanding. And there still was the slight possibility that _Ignis_ was the one misunderstanding it all. Maybe it wasn't a date after all. How many times had he thought about this today already?!

Gladio only scratched the back of his neck and expectantly looked at Noct as well. The prince tried to answer several times, but the words always seemed to die in his mouth before they left his lips.  
"It's because... well... you know, this is..."  
Ignis wasn't sure if he had ever seen his prince so much at a loss for words.   
Prompto only blinked in wonder before he seemed to finally understand. His eyes went wide and he happily announced, "Oh, I get it now! It's supposed to be a _dudes-day_! No girls allowed, I get it, bro!" 

"Huh? Um... yeah," the prince answered mostly on reflex and bit his bottom lip in what looked like frustration right away. The young photographer didn't seem to notice this gesture and walked towards the exit of the shop, "Let's go on, then!" 

Gladio stood beside Noct and put a firm hand on the younger one's shoulder, "Sometimes you need to speak up and say what you really think, Princess. Otherwise, misunderstandings are bound to happen."  
"I know!!" Noct retorted rather harshly and wrenched his shoulder away. After mumbling a short, "Sorry," the prince went after Prompto and left the shop.

While Gladio had spoken to Noctis, he had been looking at Ignis all the time. It made the advisor feel that the words were directed at him as well. And he knew exactly what the shield was hinting at. They still hadn't talked about their kiss the other day. And he also still didn't know what Gladio had wanted to say before Noctis suddenly appeared in the training room. Ignis knew they had to talk about it eventually and he wanted to do so soon. But the mood and the atmosphere weren't right. To not leave the other man completely hanging, he whispered a short, "You're right," before taking off as well. He wasn't sure if Gladio had heard him. But he didn't have the guts to turn around and check as he almost fled the shop.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date continues from Gladio's point of view!

The outcome of their last exchange at the shop at Insomniaqua didn't sit well with Gladio at all. It had officially ruined the good mood. At least for now. But it wasn't in his nature to let it go down the drain like this. Not without him fighting against it.

They were currently inside of Ignis's car. After leaving the shop Noct had told them, he wanted to visit another place, though he wouldn't say what place exactly. He put the address into his advisor's navigation system and Ignis dutifully started up the car to drive them through the bustling streets of Insomnia. Prompto had taken the passenger seat and was looking through the photos he had taken with his camera. Sitting behind the blonde, Gladio couldn't see his face, but he heard him snickering from time to time. 

Ignis had a stern look on his face as he drove and the shield wasn't sure if it was due to their last exchange at the shop or if he was just tired and annoyed from the insane amount of traffic passing through the Crown City. Apart from Prompto's few chuckles and the radio playing quietly in the background, it was deadly silent. Unbearably silent. It wasn't that Gladio couldn't appreciate a quiet and peaceful drive but the atmosphere just wasn't right. And the newscaster announcing even more traffic jam didn't help to lighten up the mood at all. At least Noct and Prompto had finally taken off these ridiculous hats.

Gladio turned his head to the left and saw Noctis looking out of the window frowning, elbow on the door, head resting on his hand. He sighed and pulled out his phone. After typing and sending a message to Noct, he noticed the other had his phone's alerts and vibration turned off, not noticing the incoming message at all. He sighed again and quickly nudged the other's arm to get his attention. When Noct grumpily looked at him, Gladio only pointed at his phone. The prince seemed to get the hint and, while scowling, took out his phone.

Gladio: _You thought about what I told you?_

Noctis: _If you only wanna lecture me, I'll put the phone right back into my pocket._

Gladio: _Stop moping, Princess._

Noctis: _I'm no princess!!_

Gladio: _Then act like a man and speak up!_

The shield was getting angry. He really liked Noct. Who was he kidding, he really _loved_ Noct. And he knew the prince had a lot more to shoulder than he could ever imagine and it was harder on the prince than he'd admit to anyone, but Gladio was fed up with him behaving like a little brat. It had been even worse when they were kids. At first, he had almost hated him for acting like a spoiled, moping brat all the time. But he had learned to see the person hidden behind all the childish acting. A young man without a mother, and a father even busier than his own. The declining health of said man a constant reminder of the duties awaiting him in the probably way too near future. But the prince didn't run away from it. Sure, he complained and whined about it many times. He didn't excel at school and didn't keep his apartment clean. But he never missed practice. He still managed to struggle his way through school, never completely failing a test. And he put effort into cleaning when Ignis was running on low fumes, stressed out by his advising duties. Noct knew what he had to do and he'd always do it sooner or later. Sometimes he just needed a friendly nudge in the right direction.

Noctis: _..._

Noctis: _What do you wanna hear?_

Gladio: _What's today about? You didn't seem happy with Prompto's conclusion._

Noctis: _So what's_ your _conclusion?_

Gladio: _Should be obvious from how I acted._

Noctis: _Well maybe it's not obvious to me?!_

Gladio: _And that's exactly it, Princess. You gotta speak up and say it directly. Otherwise, you'll never be sure._

Noctis: _And... if I mess up?_

Gladio: _I don't think you would. And even_ if _you did, you just get up again. Didn't you land on your ass often enough by now? Just get up and try again._

Noctis: _Gladio, this isn't a training session or a fight._

Gladio: _Whole life's a fight, Princess. And if you only gonna stand there being all insecure, doing nothing, you never gonna win._

As Noct didn't answer right away, Gladio put down his phone to look at his prince. Said one was staring at his phone, probably reading Gladio's message over and over again before he looked forwards to Ignis and Prompto. After a moment he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and finally answered. Gladio looked back at his own phone as well. 

Noctis: _It's a date._

Gladio: _A date with whom?_

"Oh, come on!" the prince complained, angrily throwing his phone on the back seat beside him and stubbornly crossing his arms.  
Prompto visibly flinched at the sudden outburst but kept quiet in contrast to the advisor.  
"Is something the matter?" Ignis watched them through the rearview mirror, trying to make out what was going on while still paying attention to the road ahead.

"It's nothing," Gladio answered as Noctis didn't seem to do so himself. Ignis threw a few more concerned looks at them, but soon focused his attention back on the road as none of them said anything else. 

The shield picked up Noct's phone and expectantly hold it towards him. The prince's eyes switched between the phone and the window a few times before he sighed and took it back. Gladio looked at his own phone as well, expecting a message to arrive soon.

Noctis: _A date for all four of us. Together._

Gladio: _That's what I thought it was as well. Was it that hard to admit, Prince Shyness?_

Gladio smiled as he saw Noct's expression change out of the corner of his eye. The prince looked at his phone in disbelief before a small smile graced his lips.

Noctis: _Should have known you knew by the way you flirted with everyone today._

Gladio: _That's what dates are for, aren't they?_ ლ(*♡ε♡*(ლ

Noctis: _Stop using weird emojis. It's creepy. You're not Prom._

Gladio: _So the little sunshine is allowed to use emojis but I'm not? I'm offended!_ (✖╭╮✖)

Gladio saw Noctis rolling his eyes before he answered.

Noctis: _Stop it now. ... I'm glad at least one of you understood what this is about. I probably messed up hard if Prom thinks this is a_ dudes-day.

Gladio: I _think you made it pretty obvious. The little sunshine probably just doesn't believe his luck. He seems like the kind of guy who wouldn't believe you liked him even if you told him so._

Noctis: _Great... That sounds encouraging._

Gladio: _Come on, what did I teach you today?_

Noctis: _*sigh* ... yeah yeah, I'm not giving up. I'll stand up and fight._

Gladio: _You almost sound convincing, Princess._

Noctis: _I'm degraded back to a princess already? That's harsh..._

Gladio: _Gotta earn your title._

Noctis: _Yeah, yeah... so, what about Iggy?_

The shield hesitated. He still didn't know exactly how much Noct had witnessed the other day and worse off he didn't have a chance to talk to Iggy about it yet. He had tried to reach out for the advisor the last days but the other had been way too busy. 

Gladio: _What about him?_

Noctis: _I'm not sure what to make of his behavior. Does he get this is a date? Iggy's not stupid and usually, he gets what people are thinking... but he seems strange today._

Gladio: _He gets what people are thinking but he not always gets what people are_ feeling _. At least not right away. To be honest, he's been giving me a headache these last few days._

Noctis: _Just great. Now I really feel like I've messed this up. Maybe I should have left the flirting and date planning to someone with more experience. Like you._

Gladio: _Don't start moping again. You did fine until now, don't worry. It's clear that you put a lot of effort into it and Iggy gets at least this much. If he has a problem it's with me and not you._

Noctis: _I_ knew _something happened between you two. I asked him before but he wouldn't tell me anything about it._

Gladio: _Nothing you need to worry about as well. Leave Iggy to me, I'll clear this up with him. Promise._

Noctis: _How?_

Gladio: _Hey, just trust the man with the experience!_

Noctis: _If you say so..._

"We seem to have arrived," Ignis said as he parked at the location his navigation system had taken them to. Noct looked outside and confirmed, "Oh, yes. That's it. Thanks for driving, Iggy."

Gladio flashed Noct a reassuring smile before they all got out of the car. Prompto was stretching himself as if he had been sitting for hours though it probably wasn't much more than 30 minutes. 

"This is..." Ignis was staring ahead in disbelief. Gladio wasn't used to see the advisor at a loss for words and followed his gaze towards the building in front of them. Seemed to be some kind of fancy restaurant? 

"The Taberna Nobilitati! Didn't you want to come here?", Noctis announced proudly and smiled at Ignis.

"That's..." the advisor sighed, "Yes, I've wanted to come here ever since it opened up. But they've never got a free table. Even the reservations were booked out for the next _weeks_."

"Huh?? Is it that special?" Prompto looked between the restaurant and Iggy in wonder.  
"It sure is," the advisor explained as he adjusted his glasses, "The owner, Coquus Optimus, is a renowned chef, who has worked at many different restaurants in different cities. He started at a small food stall on the street and worked his way up until he was the head chef at the Mother of Pearl restaurant at Galdin Quay and finally opened up his own restaurant here in Insomnia three months ago."

Prompto paled as he listened to the explanation. It was clear to everyone that he was panicking about not being able to afford to dine at such a fancy place. To be honest, Gladio didn't even want to know exactly how expensive it would be to eat here.

"Yup, that's about it. But I've managed to get a reservation and am inviting you. So don't worry about anything and let's get inside. I'm hungry," the prince started to walk towards the entrance but stopped as no one followed him, "Don't just stand there and stare. You don't want me to eat there all alone, do you?"

"Dude... you sure? This restaurant is probably more expensive than my monthly rent," Prompto voiced his concerns.  
"And?" Noct answered casually, "Being a prince does have to have at least _some_ advantages."  
"But... am I even allowed to enter this fancy restaurant with my casual clothes?" the blonde still sounded very worried.  
"Of course you are. We are not wearing formal attire either," the prince answered with a shrug.

"Well, I'd never say no to a good meal for free!" Gladio grinned and followed after his prince. The others caught up with them shortly afterwards and together they entered the restaurant. 

As Noctis told them his name at the reception, a waiter immediately bowed and led them towards their table. Gladio had read enough romance novels, watched enough romance movies and been on enough dates himself with your usual everyday girl, that he knew that _this_ was way beyond a simple romantic dinner. 

The round table was set for four people and located on the terrace of the restaurant. Since it was on the other side of the building, you didn't hear the sounds of the traffic on the main road at all. Instead, a live band was playing on a small stage located on the left side of the terrace. The music was loud enough to pleasantly predominate the other guests chattering and enjoying their meal but quiet enough to enable talking to your companions without shouting. It was decorated with many different flowers and climbing plants had found their way up the pillars holding a wooden roofing. Gladio was kinda disappointed you couldn't see the stars at night like this, but at least you wouldn't have to worry about birds shitting on your plate. Though he probably shouldn't voice this thought out loud. 

The waiter dutifully pulled out the chairs for them and the four men sat down on the table with a perfectly white silk tablecloth. It was almost dazzling. A few roses decorated the table together with one red candle in the middle. Gladio saw Prompto fidgeting as the blonde sat down to his right, across from Noctis. Ignis sat down between the two younger ones, across from the shield himself. 

The waiter brought them some iced water, pouring everyone a glass full and bowed politely before he left them alone to study the menu in peace. Gladio really appreciated this. He hated nothing more than waiters who kept standing beside him, pressuring him with their annoyed gaze to just order something already. Well, it was a high-class restaurant and they knew the prince had made this reservation. They were probably shitting their pants right now to not mess this up somehow. 

Gladio opened the menu but couldn't really concentrate on its content as he saw Prompto fidgeting beside him all the time. 

"What's up?" he asked, probably sounding more harshly than he intended to by the way the young male flinched.  
"I... um..." Prompto searched for words before he almost inaudibly whispered, "Did you see where the restroom was on our way in?"

"Huh?" Gladio stared at the younger male in disbelief. This was all? Sometimes he really didn't get what the boy was so worried about. "Nope. Just ask or go look for it," he answered and turned his attention back to the menu.

As Prompto didn't get up and just kept fidgeting, Noctis got up instead and expectantly looked at his friend, "I've gotta go as well. Come on. We'll search for it together."  
"Dude! You don't have to come with me," the young man complained, "We are not girls, who never use the restroom alone..."  
"I won't hold it back just because you have to go as well," Noctis said and slowly started to walk away anyway. Gladio saw Prompto thoughtfully chewing on his bottom lip before the blonde guy finally got up and followed after Noct.  
The prince turned his head around, briefly facing Gladio and soundlessly voiced something which dreadfully looked like _Talk to Iggy_ with his lips.

Oh. Right. He had kinda promised to clear things up with Ignis and Noct was giving him the perfect chance to do so in private. 

He cleared his throat, "So..."  
Oh wow, what a great start.  
"They really have many interesting dishes on the menu," Ignis said without even looking up.  
And an even greater follow-up.  
Gladio sighed. This was getting him nowhere, "Iggy?"  
"The fish and meat dishes both look appealing."  
The shield sighed again and tried to gain the other's attention one more time, "Iggy."  
"But since Optimus worked at Gladin Quay last, the fish dishes must be more exquisite."  
"IGNIS!" Gladio raised his voice and slammed his menu down onto the table. This not only finally earned him the attention of the advisor but also those of a few other people sitting at the tables next to them.  
"Gladiolus Amicitia, keep your voice down!" Ignis hissed at him as he elegantly and quietly put down his menu as well and apologetically bowed his head to the people looking at them. They soon seemed to mind their own business again and Gladio knew he had to act now before Ignis started to ignore him again.

He didn't want to cause a scene, but he knew that sometimes riling up the other was the only way to get his attention, "I'll keep my voice down if you stop ignoring me and listen up."  
"I'm not ignoring-" Ignis sighed and seemed to give up in order to avoid causing another uproar.  
"What is it? I'm listening," he asked but didn't manage to look Gladio into the eyes. Instead, he busied himself with his glass of water, nervously taking a few sips.

The shield couldn't take this any longer. He'd just clear this battle head-on.  
"Ignis," he said with all the conviction he could muster, "I don't want to be your substitute for Noct. I love you just as much as I love Noct and the blonde little sunshine. Astrals, Iggy! I even loved you before I started to love them. You were my first lov-"

He stopped abruptly as the love of his life seemed to have caught on with his words and spit out his water having a coughing fit because of the shock and spilled the rest of it as he put down the glass on the edge of his plate, causing it to tip over. At least it wasn't broken. Though Ignis's face looked kinda broken. It was bright red and Gladio wasn't sure if the other used his napkin to dry his face or hide his embarrassment. Probably both.

"Shit. Too direct? Sorry. But I wanted to avoid another misunderstanding," Gladio explained as he passed the advisor another napkin, "It's okay if you don't feel the same way about me. But I had to clear this up after the other day."

"Gladio, I..." Ignis started uncertainly, but Gladio interrupted him, "No, no, it's okay. Really. Hell, you can avoid me if I've creeped you out with this love confession. But please don't mess this day up for Noctis. He put a lot of effort into this date and even though Prompto doesn't seem to get it, you should at least try to enjoy your time with Noct."  
"Gladio..." the advisor's voice sounded more softly this time.  
"He isn't sure if you get what today is about and if you are enjoying this or not. You're probably tired and annoyed with me but please don't let it out on him," Gladio went on without giving Ignis the chance to explain himself.

"Gladiolus!" Ignis hissed and harshly put down the napkins, causing the tableware to clink again, which earned them a few even more annoyed looks from the other guests around them.  
"Would _you_ please listen to _me_ now?"  
Gladio gulped as he heard Ignis's strict voice. It was the tone he used when he was lecturing Noct after the boy had done something really stupid. Gladio had always loved the cold but still caring strictness of the advisor's voice and the fire burning in his eyes. He had dominated more than one of Gladio's secret late-night fantasies. Though he probably shouldn't be thinking about this right now if he didn't want to fall victim to the other's rage and cause a scene in the most high-class restaurant of all Insomnia. His father would kill him if he heard of this. So he only answered sheepishly, "Yes?" and waited for Ignis to continue.

Before he could say anything though, a waiter arrived at their table to clear up the spilled glass and used napkins, placing down new ones right away, "Is everything alright, Sir?"  
"Yes, it is," Ignis politely bowed and Gladio had enough sense to mimic the gesture and bow as well.  
"Do you want to sit at another table?" the waiter asked as he spotted the wet tablecloth.  
"Oh no, it's quite alright. Please don't worry about it, we don't want to cause any more inconveniences," the advisor answered smoothly.  
"Certainly, as you wish. Just call me over if you need anything else."  
"We will. Thank you."  
The waiter bowed and Ignis waited until he had walked away before he looked back towards Gladio, clearing his throat, "So... about what you said..."

"Yeees?" Gladio carefully asked as the advisor didn't continue to speak and instead busied himself with folding and unfolding his new napkin, avoiding Gladio's eyes once again. Was he nervous?  
"I... it's," Ignis clicked his tongue in annoyance at himself.  
"Come on, Iggy. It's not like you to be at a loss for words. I'll be able to live with everything you have to say. And I won't cause a scene anymore. Promise."  
The tactician sighed again and smiled at him, "How did you manage to confess so easily? It's really impressive."  
"Huh? I just said what was on my mind. Nothing impressive about it," Gladio didn't get what the other meant.  
"That's one of your charming points, you know?" Ignis smiled at him and carefully reached across the table to lay his hand upon Gladio's before he finally looked him in the eyes, "I love you, too. As much as I have feelings for Noctis and Prompto. There really seemed to be a misunderstanding the other day. I thought you didn't love me and just wanted us to seek out comfort in each other for not getting Noct."

Gladio turned his hand to squeeze Iggy's, "I'm sorry, I made the wrong impression. I should have talked more before I assaulted your lips."  
"It's... it's okay. You wanted to talk afterwards but Noct interrupted us and I _did_ avoid talking to you since then," Ignis admitted.

"Oh my gods, you won't believe what I just saw!" Prompto said as he sat down at the table abruptly. Gladio quickly pulled his hand away and Ignis did so, too.  
"Sorry," Noctis mumbled as he sat down as well, probably aware that they had just interrupted something.  
"Huh?" Prompto apparently _didn't_ know what he was talking about.  
"It's alright," Ignis said and lovingly smiled at Noct. The prince looked at his tactician in surprise before he turned his gaze towards Gladio, who shortly nodded at him but directly turned his attention to Prompto afterwards, "What did you see, sunshine?"

"Like I said, you probably won't believe me, but they had golden faucets! Like really! It was gold! I was almost afraid to use it and-" he suddenly stopped and stared at the table. Gladio followed his gaze and stopped at the wet tablecloth as well.  
"What happened?" the blonde asked confused.  
"Just some spilled water, don't worry about it," Gladio explained and downright felt Noct's questioning gaze on him.  
Prompto blinked a few times before he continued, "Anyway, not only the faucets were amazing but the water itself as well!"  
"The water?" Gladio furrowed his brows.  
"Yeah, it was like especially... soft or whatever!" Prompto fiddled with his finger, probably trying to remember the feeling, "It was just... different from the usual water!"  
"I told you, it was just normal water, Prom," Noctis sounded slightly annoyed. Gladio could only guess that they already had this conversation back then at the restroom. He could almost imagine Prompto freaking out about something normal like water, just because everything else looked kinda fancy.

Ignis's chuckle told him, the advisor was probably thinking something similar. Noctis's mood seemed to brighten up as he watched his advisor. He looked over at Gladio and the shield just happily nodded at him again. Hopefully, this time Noct would get the hint that everything was alright again between himself and Iggy.  
"You are probably just used to royal water, so you don't get the difference, dude!" Prompto said to the prince before he crossed his arms and rolled down his bottom lip in pouting manner. Oh no. He was doing it again. No matter how many times Gladio saw it, this pouting face was just too cute to be true.

Noctis only rolled his eyes and picked up his menu. As Prompto pouted even more and didn't move an inch, Ignis had pity on him, "What else was there to tell us about?"  
The blonde blinked in wonder before his face lit up with a bright smile again, "You won't believe what kind of soap they had, Iggy! It was like super smooth and super special!"  
"Was it?" the advisor chuckled again, "What did it smell like?"  
"It smelled like a whooooole meadow of different flowers!" the young man used his arms to emphasize the amount of it and Gladio couldn't withhold a slight chuckle himself.  
"Sure sounds amazing," he said in honesty and picked up his menu afterwards.

"Are we ready to order some food now or do we have to talk about restrooms the whole evening?" Noctis asked without looking at them.  
"Dude! Stop being grumpy just because you're hungry. You may be used to luxury but it's completely new and amazing to a commoner like me!" the photographer complained.  
The young prince put down his menu again to judgingly look at his friend, "Prompto. It was just a restroom. And you even took _photos_ of it."  
"He did??" Gladio exclaimed in disbelief.  
"Yes, he _did_ ," the prince nodded at Gladio, though he looked like he couldn't believe it as well even though he must have seen it with his own eyes.  
Gladio started to laugh. He'd never heard of anyone taking photos of a _restroom_ before, "You've gotta show us all your photos later, sunshine!"  
"Yes, later. Let's order some food now. I'm still hungry," Noctis complained and put up his menu for the umpteenth time.

The others did so as well and after a short time, Gladio had decided on his dish of choice.  
"I'll take the steak," he announced as he closed the menu and put it down on the table.  
"Why am I not surprised?" Ignis casually commented, his eyes still scanning over the many different available dishes.  
"You still unsure about your choice?" he asked instead of responding to the other's teasing.  
"Well, I... yeah," the advisor answered hesitantly and cleared his throat.  
"Why are you holding off?" Noctis looked up from his menu.  
"I'm not-"  
"You _are_. I've noticed. Just tell me," the prince broached the subject again.  
"I'd really like to try the lobster, but..." Ignis admitted quietly.  
Noctis only raised an eyebrow in question. As the tactician didn't elaborate, Gladio took it upon him to continue the conversation, "But what? There a problem with it?"  
"A problem?", Ignis sounded irritated, "Do you have _any_ idea how expensive an exquisite lobster is?"  
"I don't care. Just order it, if you wanna try it," Noctis replied and turned his attention back to the menu, searching for his own choice of meal.  
"But Noct, that's-" Ignis tried to legitimate himself, though their prince wouldn't even let him do it.  
"No _buts_ , Iggy. You are always worrying about everything all the time. Just take it easy today and _don't_ worry about anything for once. Especially not about money. I said I'd invite you and I meant it."  
Ignis stared at Noct for another short moment, before he put down his menu and smiled shyly, "Thank you. I'll try it then."

Noctis returned his smile and then looked over at Prompto, "Have you decided already?"  
"Oh, um... I'm not sure. I'll probably just take the grilled vegetables with feta cheese," the blonde sheepishly admitted.  
The prince grimaced as he heard the other thought about ordering a dish containing almost only vegetables. Gladio could literally read on his twisted face, how he wondered, how anyone could you even _want_ to eat these out of their own free will.  
"Please don't tell me you are worried about the prices of the meat and fish dishes as well," Noctis sighed.  
"I'm not worried about the price, really!" Prompto answered eagerly before he added more quietly, "I'm worried about the calories."  
"Just work out more if you wanna eat more!" the shield said easily.  
"It's not easy to work out between school, exams and my part-time job at the photography shop!" Prompto whined.  
"Says the guy who spends whole _weekends_ with Princess Laziness on the couch playing video games," Gladio teased.  
"Keep me out of this," Noctis mumbled as he kept studying the menu, "Just order what you want. I won't stop you."  
"Yeah, I'll take it, then!" Prompto decided and waited for Noct to announce his choice as well.

After a short moment the prince had made up his mind as well, "I'll try the scalloped chicken and pasta," he distorted his face as he added, "Just without the mushrooms."  
"Always in need of getting special treatment, aren't you, Princess?" Gladio teased.  
"Yeah, I've earned it. Deal with it," the prince replied and questioningly eyed his companions, "What about beverages?"  
"There's a wine, I always wanted to try. One glass should be fine, even though I still have to drive," Ignis said, this time without hesitating and Gladio smiled, "Get a whole bottle of this wicked stuff, I want some booze as well."

Ignis eyed him in disbelief, "Language, Gladio."  
"Oh come on, it's not like anyone heard!"  
"I'll just order the whole bottle, I wanna try some of it as well," Noctis interrupted them.  
"Oh yeah, me too!" Prompto eagerly joined in.  
"You two," Ignis pointed at the two young men, "are too young for wine."  
"Aaaw, come on, Iggy! Just a little bit! This could be a once in a lifetime chance to try a fancy wine!" the blonde whined.  
"Wouldn't be the first time we drank anyway," the prince mumbled without really thinking about it.  
"What was that?" Of course, Ignis had picked up, what his prince had said.  
"Nothing," Noctis cleared his throat and looked at Gladio searching for help.  
"Come on Iggy. Let them try a little under our careful watch before they secretly get shitfaced on their own one day," the shield tried to conciliate the advisor.  
"Language, Gladio," Ignis sighed as he adjusted his glasses, "And don't think I didn't realize this already happened once. So I'm not sure about _your_ careful watch... but okay. I'll let them have a little under _my_ careful watch."

Prompto visibly flinched in his chair and didn't dare to add anything to this conversation.  
"Thanks, Iggy," Noctis said and signaled the waiter to drop by their table and tell him their orders before Ignis could change his mind. 

After a short while, he came back with wine glasses and their selected wine, pouring everyone a glass. Gladio wanted to carelessly take the glass with his whole hand but as he felt Iggy's sharp gaze on him, slender finger's elegantly holding the fine glass, he paused in his action. He couldn't help but stare, how Ignis skillfully enclosed the shaft of the glass, his thought wandering to how it would feel if the advisor's finger skillfully enclosed _his shaft_ instead.  
As Ignis expectantly pushed up his eyebrow, the shield came back into reality and remembered what he'd learned about etiquette. Usually, he didn't care about this stuff and even if they weren't here on official duty, he still _was_ visiting a high-class restaurant in his prince's company. Not wanting to ruin the mood with any inappropriate action, he mimicked Iggy and elegantly picked up his own wine glass, which earned him an astonished look from Prompto.

"What? You got something to say?"  
"Oh, um. No," the blonde shook his head at once, "Sometimes I just tend to forget you're nobility, too."  
"Oi! What's that supposed to mean?" he wasn't really angry but teasing the young man just was too much fun from time to time.  
"Ah, come on, tough guy! You know, what I mean," Prompto looked at Noct, probably searching for help. But the prince only elegantly hold up his wine glass and smiled, "A toast?"

Prompto visibly gulped before he slowly picked up his own wine glass, desperately trying to hold it as elegantly as the others. Gladio could almost feel the young man's struggle just by watching. His hands were shaking, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, tongue slightly sticking out of the corner of his mouth in concentration, his gaze fixated on the wine glass wobbling in his hand. It was almost too much to watch. The shield felt like he could see an inevitable mishap coming and wanted nothing more than to protect the small guy from making a fool of himself.  
How could you go from wanting to tease someone to wanting to protect him in such a short time? The young photographer really knew how to get to his feelings without even trying to do so.

He shared a look with Noctis and Ignis, the blonde's trouble not having gone unnoticed by them as well. As the tactician nodded at Noct, the prince held up his glass a little higher, "To us!"  
Noct's voice was almost unusually quiet, yet still determined, but Prompto flinched nonetheless, causing the wine in his glass to shake and almost slopping out of it. Fortunately, he had managed to avoid any casualty though.

Gladio and Ignis responded to Noct's cheer and Prompto stuttered afterwards as well, "T-t-to us!"  
The shield took some large gulps of wine, while the others only elegantly sipped at it. As they had put down their glasses again, the advisor faced the photographer, his voice careful and soft, "Maybe you should try to relax a little more."

"Sorry! I will! I mean, I am! I'm relaxed!" the blonde immediately answered.  
"Are you still worried about these calories and not working out enough?" Gladio just had to tease him a little. Again.  
"Or are you still stunned by the _special water_?" the prince asked, a smirk gracing his lips.  
"Or are you still afraid you'll accidentally tell me more about your alcohol experiences with Gladio and Noct?" Ignis asked, trying to sound casually teasing as well but the expecting and disapproving look on his face told otherwise. Gladio almost felt sorry for the younger man now. The blonde already was intimidated easily, so being under Iggy's strict gaze, which made even Gladio shudder, must feel even more threatening to him.

"Hey! Could you please stop ganging up on me?" Prompto whined.  
"Didn't _you_ gang up on me as well as you three surreptitiously met to drink on your own?" Ignis pushed up his glasses and reproachfully stared at Prompto. The shield couldn't watch this any longer, but his prince beat him to it.  
"Iggy, stop torturing Prom. That was my idea, okay? I suggested to him that we drink and that's why I asked Gladio to buy us some booze," the prince explained pacifying.  
"Yeah, that's how it was. And I only stayed to make sure nothing bad happened," the shield joined in.  
"And he did a good job in supervising us! Nothing bad happened, really. No one had to puke. Just a slight headache in the morning and a broken glass and-"  
"Prompto!!" Noctis hissed.  
"Oh, um. I mean, no headaches! No broken glasses. And especially no embarrassing photos! None at all," Prompto paled, "Oh no, I'm babbling again. Just ignore me. I said nothing at all! Please don't be angry!"

Gladio sighed and saw how Noctis slid down his chair a little, hiding his face behind his hand, not able to look Iggy into the eyes.  
The advisor didn't scold them, though. Instead, he only looked down at the table, feeling up his water glass a few times before he started to unfold and fold his napkin again. Gladio had noticed this kind of behavior on the other man a few times before. Ignis always tended to tidy something up or at least keep his hands busy, whenever he felt uncomfortable or wanted to take his mind off something. It only appeared to him as confusing as to why the tactician would do this now? 

His two younger companions seemed to be surprised as well as Iggy didn't react at all to their latest explanations but they only looked at Gladio in confusion. Great. _He_ had to deal with this? His sister once told him he may have the heart of a teddy bear but the tactfulness of a behemoth. He never fully understood what she was getting at, but ever since then, he wasn't sure how to deal with delicate situations anymore. Last time he did, Ignis spew out his water. But it probably couldn't get any worse today, could it?

"If you are thinking about a proper punishment, leave the kids out of this. It was my fault to agree to their idea and get them the booze in the first place," Gladio tried to dissolve the weird atmosphere but the moment Ignis lifted his head, he already knew he had messed up. Iggy's face looked shocked at first but went on to disappointment and... hurt?

"If you'd excuse me," the advisor said politely before he stood up and left, but Gladio didn't miss the quivering in the other's voice.

"Really, Gladio?" Noctis flashed him a disappointed look.  
"What?! What did you expect of me? You know I'm no good with this stuff!" he defended himself, slamming his fists on the table.  
Afterwards they just silently glared at each other for a while.  
"I have no idea what he's thinking... but he _did_ act kinda strange, didn't he?" Prompto wondered, "I mean, I don't know him as well as you guys do, but I've never seen him like this before."

The prince and the shield crossed their arms in sync, both taking on a thoughtful look.  
"I don't know either," Gladio admitted after a short while.  
"Dude, aren't you like, his best friend?! Shouldn't you know what he's thinking?" Noctis tried to reason with his shield.  
"Doesn't mean I'm able to read his mind. Not like you are able to read Prompto's thoughts either, are you?" Gladio retorted and saw Prompto blush out of the corner of his eye, "And _you_ do know him longer and are spending way more time with him than I do."

Noctis sighed, "We have to fix this somehow."  
"But how?" Prompto asked the obvious and Gladio groaned in desperation. He wasn't cut out for stuff like this.

They just continued to remain silent in all their cluelessness until Ignis came back to the table.  
"You were right, Prompto. These golden faucets are impressive," Ignis casually started to talk as he sat down.  
"Iggy," Gladio groaned. If the advisor wanted to avoid talking about something he could babble just as much as Prompto did when he was nervous.  
"And the soap has an exquisite smell," the tactician went on before Gladio interrupted him.  
"Iggy, stop! Look, I know I sometimes do or say some stupid things," the shield explained in acceptance, "And I apparently did so just now. Once again. So please, just tell me, what I did wrong."  
"You didn't do or say anything wrong, Gladiolus," the advisor stated.  
"Ouch. I totally did. You are using my full name. I'm not stupid, I know that means you are upset with me somehow."  
"I am not upset with you... _Gladio_ ," Ignis said once again but he almost spewed out Gladio's name at the end. Obviously trying his hardest to casually use his nickname but not being able to do so at all.  
The shield arched up an eyebrow, "Could have fooled me. Again: Tell me what I did wrong?"  
"Or was it me?" Noct asked quietly.  
"Probably me..." Prompto added sheepishly.

Ignis sighed and almost looked annoyed by now, "For the last time you didn't do anything wrong. None of you did. You only spoke your thoughts and acted accordingly. Thinking I'd be angry or want to punish you all, and not even asking me to participate in the first place since I'm such a fun killer."  
"No one thought _that_ , Iggy," Noctis tried to mention, but the advisor just continued to talk.  
"Hush now, don't think I wouldn't notice how everyone is talking about me behind my back. Maybe they should make sure I'm far away enough before they start to complain about how I'm always sticking to the rules, never having fun, reporting every misbehavior, boring to no end, a party pooper, having a stick up my-"  
"WHO SAID ALL THAT?!" Noctis and Gladio yelled in unison as they sprung to their feet, slamming their fists down on the table, causing the other guests around them to visibly flinch.  
After the first shock, Prompto slowly got up as well, a tiny "Wh-who said that?" leaving his lips, but one stern gaze from the advisor caused the blonde to slide down his chair again, burying his face in his hands to hide his embarrassment.

"By the Six would you please sit down quietly and don't start another commotion here?!" Ignis hissed at the two men.  
Gladio really didn't want to start a commotion. But he was just so angry! Who was badmouthing the loyal and diligent advisor like that?  
One of the waiters wanted to come over to their table, probably intending to tell them to not disturb the other guests but one harsh gaze of Noctis caused the waiter to flinch, apologetically bow and back off. Huh, it really had its advantages to have a prince by your side. On the other hand, Ignis was still staring directly at Gladio. The tactician's voice was cold as ice but crystal clear, "Sit."  
Gladio's eyes widened and he had to gulp. Iggy being this strict always did something to him. He felt his blood rushing south and while he really didn't want to easily listen to him like this, being curious what Iggy would do if he misbehaved even more, how he would maybe... punish him, he really didn't want to cause another commotion either, if his trousers showed a bulge which wasn't suited for a fancy restaurant like this at all.  
He cleared his throat and sat down, never breaking eye contact with the advisor. He felt heat pulsating through his entire body and he was quite sure this wasn't only the adrenaline from raging about these people badmouthing Iggy.  
Shit. He really was pudding under Ignis's gaze. Maybe he finally had to admit to himself that he _did_ have a slight dom/sub kink.

"Noctis, sit down, please" as the advisor turned towards their prince, it put Gladio out of his trance.  
"Noct..." he said as well, knowing better than to rile up Ignis even more. Or rile up _himself_ even more which seemed to happen simultaneously.  
The prince grumbled but finally sat down as well. As they all only silently stared at each other or at the table, the guests around them finally started to pick up their meals and conversations again.

Noctis took a deep breath trying to calm his nerves, "Seriously, Igs. Who said this about you?"  
"Does it even matter?" Ignis sighed and avoided looking at them, starting to fumble with his napkin once again.  
"It does," Gladio said determinedly, "I won't stand silent knowing someone is out there spreading lies and false rumors about you!"  
"Gladio..." the advisor sighed again, "You can't blame them if this is their opinion of me."  
"But they are _wrong_!" Noctis said loudly, which caused him another stern gaze from his advisor.  
"Iggy, listen," Gladio laid a hand on Iggy's to make him stop fumbling with his napkin and look at him, " _You_ are the most loyal and diligent man I know. You are always working your ass off, thinking about your duties and putting the well-being of others before your own. Some people might think you are _boring_ or whatever, but the thing is: They don't know the real you. They tend to forget you are a human being as well. With feelings and desires and insecurities. So I won't keep quiet if some people are bad mouthing the man I love. _I_ know you are better than that. And I'm sorry if our actions hurt you and made you remember unpleasant things. That never was my intention. You know I sometimes fail to express myself correctly, telling insensitive things." 

Gladio cleared his throat at the end of his speech and leaned back in his seat, slightly embarrassed letting go of Ignis's hand. His companions had gone quiet and it almost looked like Prompto even hold his breath. 

"That's... yeah," Noct was the first who got his words back, "I never intended to impute something to you, Iggy!"  
"Yeah, me neither! I'm... I'm sorry, Ignis. I always admired how perfect you are," Prompto admitted, "I never thought you'd have insecurities as well..."  
"I am sorry to have failed you, Prompto," Ignis said.  
"What? No! If all, I feel better now that I know you have problems as well! No, wait. That sounds evil," the blonde desperately searched for the right words, "You just feel... more approachable now? Not that I was scared of you before or something, no. I was more... in awe of your almightiness!"  
Ignis snorted and a short chuckle left his mouth, "My _almightiness_? Isn't that a little too much?"  
"Nope. You are like a god!" Prompto elaborated.  
"You mean I was."  
"No, no, you still are! Just a... um... a m-more approachable god?" the photographer stuttered.  
"Well... thank you, then. I guess?" the advisor clearly wasn't used to this kind of praise.

Gladio smiled in relief as Ignis seemed to have calmed down. But it still bugged him that some people were bad mouthing him. For now, he didn't even care who exactly it was, but he really needed to pay more attention to the other Crownsguard members during the next training session and maybe give them all a lesson about teamwork, solidarity, and honesty.  
The grumpy pout on Noct's face showed him, that the prince still wanted to know who exactly said these malicious things about his advisor but at least he let the subject slide for now. Probably knowing that this really wasn't a nice subject for a first date.

After a short while, the waiter appeared with their meals. He looked a little troubled and Gladio was sure if they weren't in the company of the Crown Prince himself they most likely would have been thrown out of the place already. 

The food looked even more amazing than one would expect at such a fancy restaurant. Even Ignis's face seemed to be graced by an unusual surprised and impressed smile.  
"Itadakimasu!" Noctis said before he started to eat at once. The prince really must have been hungry. The other's responded the same way and started to enjoy their meal as well. 

Gladio had eaten many steaks in his life and even if Ignis's cooking skills always tended to impress him, he had to admit that this steak was the best he ever had. It was juicy on the inside and perfectly grilled on the outside. He licked his lips with his tongue as a drop of meat juice threatened to escape his mouth. Maybe he should remember this etiquette stuff he'd learned and slowly eat small pieces. But it just was so tasty!  
The others seemed to enjoy their dinner as well but he didn't miss the sheepish looks Prompto threw at him from time to time. It was really cute how the young one tried to not get caught but made it still so obvious he was looking, his cheeks painted with a slight pink tone.

"You want a piece of meat now?" Gladio asked after a while.  
"What? Oh, no! It's alright," the blonde blushed even more and focused on his vegetables.  
"These green beasts probably don't taste at all," the prince commented as he saw his best friend pushing a piece of pepper around on his table.  
"What? No, it tastes awesome," Prompto answered in earnest, "You should try it, dude!"  
"No, thanks," Noct said and grimaced excessively.  
"One day I'll create a dish with vegetables you enjoy," Ignis mentioned, though it sounded more like a threat.  
"Good luck with that..." the prince mumbled and skeptically raised an eyebrow. To be honest, Gladio didn't believe Noctis would ever enjoy vegetables. He had hated them since forever. But if anyone could make a miracle happen it would be the _almighty_ Iggy. That made him snort.  
"What?" Ignis sharply asked.  
"Nothing," sometimes it gave Gladio the creeps how perceptive the other was. 

As he continued to eat, he saw Prompto watching him out of the corner of his eye again.  
"Seriously Prom, if you want a piece of this just say so. It's no problem," he tried to convince the other again, not knowing why else he should eye him so much.  
The blonde flinched as if he had been caught, but agreed to Gladio's offer this time, "Oh, um... yeah! If you would just let me try a bite?"

The shield cut off a piece of meat and held his fork in front of Prompto's mouth, "Open up, sunshine!"  
The photographer just blushed furiously and backed away a little, "D-dude! I'm not your little sister, I can eat on my own!"  
"Again with Iris? Just so you know, my little sister is perfectly able to eat on her own. She's not that little anymore!" Gladio retorted. Seriously, why was Prom mentioning his sister again now?  
Prompto's face was still red as he answered, "Y-you don't have to feed me either! I'm not Iris."  
"The hell, Prompto?! I just told you I am _not_ feeding her this way! What is it with you and talking about my sister all the time? You got a crush on her or what?! If you do, you tell me right now. No excuses!" the shield responded angrily. He didn't mind talking about his little sister, not at all. She was such a cute and lovely girl, he could praise her all the time. But he really didn't want his love _interest_ to talk about his sister during a _date_! Which made him remember... Prompto probably still didn't realize this was a date. 

Ignis and Noct had stopped eating and only watched him and Prom fiercely. Just great. Messed up the mood once again. Prompto was opening and closing his mouth several times, trying to say something but looking more like one of these gaping fish they had seen this afternoon.  
"I... um..." he finally managed to say, "I don't have a crush on your sister! Really! No crush at all! I don't even know her that well! For real! I have no crush at all! I just thought... I don't know. I'm sorry."  
Now that the blonde guy looked all miserable Gladio already regretted yelling at him. 

"No crush at all?" Noctis carefully repeated, "Not even a crush on... someone else?"  
"Huh?? I, um," the blonde started to stutter and didn't know where he should look, staring at his plate in the end before he whispered a counter question, "Do _you_ have a crush on anyone, Noct?"

"Huh?? I, um," Noctis fumbled for words as well. Gladio couldn't contain a chuckle as the prince reacted the exact same way as Prompto did before.  
"W-what's so funny?" the prince asked, obviously trying to avoid the question from his best friend.  
"You two are funny," the shield replied before he cut off a new piece of steak and held his fork to Prompto again, a friendly smile on his face, "You wanna try a piece now or not?"  
"Oh, y-yes! Thank you!" the photographer answered before he hesitantly took the piece from Gladio's extended fork into his mouth. His eyes lit up as he chewed on it, "Oooh! This tastes amazing!"  
"Told ya," Gladio smiled at him again before he continued to eat.

Noctis sighed, either in relief to dodging the question about his own crush or in regret because he couldn't get any information about Prompto's crush, he didn't know. Gladio was sure the blonde _had_ a crush on someone. If not he would have just said so instead of embarrassingly avoiding the subject. 

They all continued their meal in silence for the time being. Gladio really wanted to talk about something casual to brighten up the mood but he kinda feared to mess up once again, so he decided to stay silent for now.  
As if Ignis had sensed his discomfort he started a conversation instead, "How is school going, Prompto?"  
"Everything's fine!" the blonde smiled, "Yesterday I met up with Noct to study for the upcoming economics test next week!"  
"You two met to study? Did you stare at your books for five minutes before you decided to play video games instead?" Gladio joked, never able to let the occasion slide to tease the two youngsters.  
"Rude!!" Prompto pouted cutely, "We really _did_ study! Tell them, Noct!"  
"Yeah, we worked through everything! This test will be a piece of cake, you'll see!" the prince said braggingly.  
"I'm quite impressed you were motivated enough to study on your own. What brought upon this change?" Ignis asked in wonder.  
"Nothing," Noct casually replied, shrugging his shoulders, "Just felt like it."

Gladio had to admit he still couldn't believe it himself. Usually, Iggy had to force the prince to study at least a little bit after he'd prepared summaries, tables as well as questions and answers the advisor thought could show up on the test. He knew that Prompto had a good influence on the prince and sometimes managed to get them to do a little bit of school work done before Noctis persuaded the blonde to play video games instead, but to believe these learned for a whole test completely on their own? There had to be more to it. Wait a minute. Economics test? He was sure he'd heard about this before. But when? Oh! Didn't Iggy mention this the day before yesterday as Noct asked if he was free today? So that's it. Gladio smirked.

"What?" Noctis arched up an eyebrow.  
"Nothing," Gladio said, faking the same casual behavior Noct had before, "I just realized what got you motivated."  
The prince didn't look happy about his discovery at all. The tactician was all the more interested instead, "You need to tell me at once, Gladio."  
"No, you don't," Noctis interrupted.  
"Gladio, you'd better listen to me," Ignis put on his stern look, the one that made Gladio shudder from the inside out.  
"Hello? I'm the prince. You have to listen to me!" Noct almost pouted by now.  
"Sorry Noct, Iggy is just better at convincing people," Gladio admitted and Noct only snorted.  
"Well spotted, Gladio," Ignis said smirking before he winked at the shield. He freaking _winked_. Gladio was done for. He was quite sure his face was burning up. Was he blushing? He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this red. Shit. This was somehow embarrassing. Was this how Prompto felt all the time?

He cleared his throat as they all expectantly stared at him.  
"So... remember your tough schedule, Iggy?" he began to explain.  
"Gladio..." Noctis tried to sound threatening but it was nothing to the stern gaze Ignis had given him before.  
"Hush now, Noct. Children have to keep quiet when adults are talking," the tactician lectured.  
The shield grinned before he went on, "I've got the feeling... that whenever you are really _too stressed_ , our lazy prince finally gets his ass up to do something on his own. You know, to unburden you."  
As he looked over to the prince, who just continued to eat, never looking up from his plate, a redness on his face that even reached his ears, he was sure, his assumption had been right.  
"Interesting," Ignis smirked as he seemed to have confirmed the truth of this theory as well, "I shall _reward_ you soon for this valuable information, Gladio."  
Was it just Gladio's imagination or did the advisor really sound suggestive? Either way, he couldn't refrain from smirking.  
"Is it true, Noct?" Prom asked surprised.  
"Just don't misuse this information..." the prince admitted in defeat.  
"Oh, don't worry," Ignis said, still smirking, "I won't misuse it. I'm only taking every piece of information into consideration when I'm planning my schedule."  
Noctis sighed. He knew as well as everyone else that the advisor would make good use of this from now on. Gladio chuckled.

Later, when they had finished their meal, the waiter came over to pick up their plates and asked if everything had been to their liking. Ignis praised the lobster to no end and really seemed to be impressed by these _exquisite_ cooking skills. The waiter bowed several times and promised to relay the praise to the cook himself. As he came back a while later, he expressed the cook's thanks to them and asked if they wanted a dessert and coffee.

"A cappuccino is fine for me," Ignis said at once.  
"Yeah, one for me as well," Gladio answered. He noticed Prompto's disappointed look. The blonde probably wanted a dessert and hoped he wouldn't be the only one.  
"What dessert would you recommend?" the prince asked.  
"Today's specialty is the cherry vanilla sundae with cherry brandy."  
"That sounds good. One for me, please," Noct answered.  
"For me as well, please!" Prompto joined in happily.

"I'm impressed you still have room left for dessert," Ignis said as the waiter had left again.  
"There's always room for dessert!" Prompto grinned from ear to ear.  
"Weren't you worried about calories?" Gladio reminded the blonde.  
"Aaah, come on, big guy! You don't worry about calories when it's about dessert!" the one young winked. 

As soon as their sundaes arrived Gladio had to learn that Prompto stood true to his words. The blonde really didn't seem to care about calories anymore as he happily started to swallow down the ice cream at such a speed the shield wondered how he even managed to avoid getting brain freeze. Iggy and Noct seemed to be astonished as well but just like him, they didn't say anything against it as they saw how happy the photographer looked. 

Gladio and Ignis enjoyed their cappuccinos as well and while they chit-chatted about frivolous things it suddenly got really late quite fast. Noctis paid for their dinner and gave the waiter a generous tip, hopefully making up for all the commotions they've caused and together they left the restaurant. Despite all the ups and downs Gladio really had enjoyed their date so far. It wasn't the first time he spent an afternoon having fun with dinner afterwards, but this date was still different from every single one he's had so far. And not only because it was a date with four people instead of two, no. There were just more feelings involved which made everything different. He had always been on dates with girls and even some boys he had an interest in, but if he was honest with himself he had always compared them to Ignis, Noctis and, lately, Prompto as well. He had tried to get over his feelings for them. Had tried to fall in love with anyone else and he really put effort into all his past dates, but it just never felt as it did today. Guess there really is no way to kid your own feelings, is there? 

Maybe _he_ should have invited the others on a date earlier. But since he had always thought he wouldn't stand a chance- even though he was sure he could woo every other boy and girl out there if he just tried -he didn't dare to make a move. To make matters worse he didn't even want to think about what his dad, the king or other people might think if they knew he lusted after the precious Prince of Lucis. And his advisor. And his best friend. It's like it got worse with every new thought he added. But after all these dating failures he finally admitted to himself that he wouldn't get happy with anyone else. 

No matter how beautiful his previous dating partners were, they couldn't compare to Prompto's cute pout or bright sunshine-like smile.  
No matter how strong his previous dating partners were, they couldn't compare to the strength he had recognized inside of Noctis over the past years.  
No matter how insightful his previous dating partners were, they couldn't compare to Ignis's perceptiveness that impressed and riled him up all the time. 

It felt like the more he pressured his heart to develop feelings for anyone else, the more his heart did the opposite and reminded him how much he felt for Noct, Iggy, and Prom. That's why he decided to finally make a move and confronted Ignis in the training rooms the other day but Noctis kinda beat him to it with his date plan for today. Not that Gladio minded. Not at all. It was good to know he wasn't the only one who apparently agonized about a possible relationship. He still wasn't sure if Prompto shared their feelings and he didn't know for sure exactly how far the prince wanted to take this all, but he would go as far as the prince was comfortable with. And at least he finally got a confirmation about the advisor's feelings towards him. He was gonna make the most out of today and make sure that Prompto somehow got what this was about. Though he wasn't so sure if it was his place to do so today. He'd wait if Noct had more up his sleeve before he messed something up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never been to a fancy restaurant myself, so I'm not sure I described it fancy enough XD  
> It was the first time I've written something from Gladio's point of view and by the Six it's so much fun!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter from Prompto's point of view!

Prompto couldn't remember the last time he had such an awesome day. They were currently inside of Ignis's car again on their way to Noct's apartment because the advisor had insisted to drive them all home. The blonde sat in the passenger seat and browsed through the photos on his camera again, still not believing he had spent such a nice day with these three awesome men. But the photos were right there on his camera. True, he had a glass of wine and maybe he was a tiny little bit tipsy, but he definitely wasn't drunk enough to see pictures that weren't really there. So this _had_ to be real. Today really happened. Even though he still wasn't sure exactly why it happened. It wasn't unusual for him to spend time with Noct, not only at the prince's apartment but also going out together to the arcade or the city.   
But today seemed... different. Not only because Gladio and Ignis had accompanied them. It almost seemed like a date. No, no, no! That wasn't possible. You need two people for a date, not four. But maybe it was... some kind of double date? Maybe the shield and the advisor shared a thing Prompto knew nothing about? Gladio did mention something about loving Ignis during dinner after all. And maybe Noct was interested in him, so he asked him out to a double date? Yeah, sure. Because anyone as awesome and important as _the Prince of Lucis_ could be interested in an insignificant commoner like himself. Dream on, Prompto. This was just a dudes-day and nothing more just because he wished it to be. He was just a horny teenager who couldn't keep his hormones in check and got false hope all the time. 

He let out a sigh again before he continued to browse through the pictures. Maybe he got it the wrong way and it was a date between Noct and Gladio instead? They had looked incredibly lovely as they walked through the aquarium together. Prompto almost got jealous. Though he didn't mind to spend to quality time with Ignis on his own. He had always admired the prince's advisor. He wasn't sure when it had started but after some time, he had always hoped the advisor would show up as well when he visited Noct's apartment. It confused him to no end since he always thought he had a crush on Noct. But the way he acted around the tactician and the things he dreamed about, by the Six, he had to have a crush on him as well. Maybe Noct had noticed and today he tried to give him a chance to get to know him better? Prompto wasn't sure. 

Though he also had to admit that he got closer to Gladio as well. It probably meant nothing, but the shield definitely flirted with him today. But not just him. He flirted with _everyone_. Prompto didn't know the shield of his prince that well but he knew he was some kind of Casanova, having dates with different persons probably every new weekend, so flirting was just in his nature. Though Prompto had to admit he still felt honored as the shield even flirted with someone like him. Though he couldn't believe it at first. Maybe he got it wrong and the handsome man only saw him as a little brother he wanted to care about? Wouldn't be so far-fetched the way he always cared about his sister. At least that's what he had heard from Noct. Until now Prompto didn't have much time to get to know Gladio. He had seen him sometimes before or after Noct's training sessions or on rare occasions when Ignis didn't have time to pick the prince up and sent the shield to do so instead, but Prompto had known from the very beginning that Gladio was the man of his dreams. He could probably get off just by looking at him. He fantasized about him often enough... and if he remembered how the shield had licked his lips during dinner today. Oh no, no, no. Bad timing. He really shouldn't remember this scene unless he was alone in his bedroom. 

What if Noct had realized how much Prompto lusted after his shield and sat up this double date for today? It could be possible. The blonde really did his best to not let any of his feelings, be it love or lust, show on his face but probably didn't do the job well enough. He had never been good at lying as he started to babble and his facial color always seemed to give him away. And it wasn't so far-fetched to think that Noct had a thing for his advisor. It was just like Gladio had stated during dinner today. When Ignis was involved Noct could suddenly get really motivated and obliging. Prompto was really happy yesterday when Noct had asked him over to learn together with him. But after a while, he felt like the prince had done it to do Ignis a favor and not because he had wanted to spend time with Prompto. But maybe that was just his insecurities taking over his mind again.

Prompto didn't even realize they had reached their destination before Ignis turned off the car and proclaimed, "We have arrived. I shall take you to the door, Noct."  
"I can walk on my own," the prince mumbled but didn't sound very convincing.  
"Nonsense, we're coming with you," the shield said and got up as well. Not wanting to be left alone with his confusing thoughts Prompto got up too, "Wait for me! I'm coming with you."

They went up from the parking lot to Noct's apartment door, where the prince took out his keys but didn't unlock his door. Instead, he turned around towards Prompto and the others saying, "It... um... it was a nice day!"  
"Yup, it was awesome, bro!" the blonde answered at once and saw Gladio nodding in agreement.   
"So, um... well," Noctis stuttered as he fidgeted around, keys in his hand. Prompto watched him but he didn't get what he was waiting for. It seemed like the prince wanted to say something else but he looked away from his companions, studying the walls and the floor instead. Almost as if he was... _nervous_? The blonde furrowed his brow, "What's up, dude?"  
"Huh? Oh, um... it's nothing. It's just, you know. Today was... well," Noctis tried to answer his question but he couldn't. Prompto only got more confused by this reaction. It wasn't like Noct at all to fumble for words like this. Usually, the prince just spoke his mind and Prompto was the one doing the stuttering. 

Before he could agonize about it more, Ignis walked up to Noct though, placed one hand on the prince's hip and the other under his chin, lifting it up, saying, "You have my sincere thanks, Noct. It was a lovely date," and kissing him on the lips. Prompto saw the prince's eyes widening at the same time as his own eyeballs probably plopped out of his face before Noctis slowly closed his eyelids and kissed Ignis back, holding onto his shirt. The photographer felt like he just witnessed something private that wasn't supposed for his eyes but he couldn't turn away his gaze either. The sight before him was _just too beautiful_. Iggy and Noct broke their kiss, to look into each other's eyes. Even from afar Prompto could see the feelings reflecting in their eyes. Their cheeks were painted in a slight pink tone and before he realized it, he had snapped a picture of them. He really shouldn't do this. Could he get arrested for shooting such a scandalous picture of the prince? Probably. But he just had to. As a photographer, he couldn't miss his chance to capture his loved ones in all their beauty. 

As his brain still tried to catch up on what just happened, Gladio went to stand beside the other two men, speaking up with a pretend hurt voice, "Hey! I wanted to steal Princess's first kiss!"  
Prompto knew that Noct really disliked this nickname but the prince seemed to be in too much of a trance to complain about it. The advisor only chuckled as he turned around towards Gladio and smirked, "You already got _mine_ the other day, isn't that enough?"  
The blonde saw Gladio's eyes grow wide with realization, "Shit, that was your first?" Ignis only smiled at him in response, before the shield grabbed him by the hips with both hands, "I'd have put more effort into it if I'd known. And just so you know, it's never enough. At least let me take your first French kiss as well." 

Prompto's brain didn't have enough time to register what was about to happen until he saw Gladio hungrily ravaging Iggy's mouth with his own. The tactician moaned into the kiss without restraint and the blonde was sure this sound would be ingrained into his memory forever. Again he pressed the shutter of his camera without really noticing it, his body on auto-pilot as his mind swirled since his wildest fantasies came true right before his own eyes. Maybe he _did_ drink too much after all? Or he fell asleep inside the car. That was probably it. There was no other explanation for this. It couldn't really be that Ignis had kissed Noct? And this had been a date after all? And Gladio kissed Ignis? And all three of them stared at him? And... wait, when had Noctis gotten so close to him? Their faces were only inches apart by now, their noses bumping together, their breaths merging and he got lost in Noct's eyes so deeply he almost missed the whispered, "Is it... okay?"

But once again his overheated and clouded mind could count on his body being on auto-pilot as he feverishly nodded, carefully put his hands on Noct's hips, his camera secured hanging on the carrying strap around his neck, and finally felt the prince's soft lips on his own. And, oh, how soft they were. Even softer than he had ever dared to dream of. He had closed his eyes on reflex and he could feel his cheeks flaring up even more, but he didn't care. His mind was spinning in circles, a million questions echoing through him. Had this really been a date? But a date between whom? Were there more dates to come? Noctis didn't mind Ignis kissing him. Had the prince a crush on his advisor? But he also didn't mind Gladio kissing Ignis. Maybe he was just curious? And now Noct was kissing him. Why? Prompto really wanted to know but he couldn't think about it right now. Because Noctis was kissing him. Noct was kissing him. _Noct. Kissing him._ The blonde couldn't believe it. He even whimpered when this indescribable softness left his lips again and he slowly opened his eyes to look into Noct's again. The prince's lips were parted and he seemed to be slightly out of breath. By the Six, this was a sight for the gods. Prompto would never forget the look on Noct's face. 

"Oh my gods," he heard himself mumble as he broke out of his trance and suddenly the prince let go of him. But Prompto didn't even have the chance to calm down because Ignis took his place in a flash. The advisor pulled their hips together and had a very rare but beautiful smile on his face, as he leaned down a little, his lips suddenly right in front of Prompto's ear, whispering with a seductive voice, "May I as well?"  
The blonde gulped not believing what he just heard before he realized he needed to answer this question, "If you... want to?"  
Not really nice to answer a question with another question but the advisor seemed to have mercy on him and smiled again before he laid his lips on Prompto's own just like Noctis had before. And even though it should have been a kiss like the one before it felt different in so many ways. Iggy's lips seemed to be a little slimmer, but he was somehow putting more confidence into it. When Noct's kiss had been a shy little peck on the lips, Iggy's was more of a determined kiss. It felt different but it caused his heartbeat to speed up as well. It was soft and sweet and lovingly and over way too fast.

Just like before it was over before he could process it all. As his brain tried to catch up with what was happening here, the words tumbled out of his mouth on their own, "Oh... oh my gods... again." He heard Gladio chuckle before the shield abruptly took over Ignis's place and grabbed him by his hips.  
"That was nothing, let me," was all the warning he got before the shield pressed his lips onto his own. Prompto felt the other's beard gracing his chin, but as he wondered if it disturbed him or not he suddenly felt a tongue licking his lips. He parted them at once and Gladio's hot tongue intruded his mouth instantly. Prompto heard himself moan as Gladio kissed him shortly but _deeply_. 

He was so far gone he didn't even know if he managed to kiss the shield back the right way but as they parted, Gladio smiled at him with a fondness in his eyes he had never seen before. The blonde smiled back at him and as the world suddenly started to spin around him he realized his legs had turned to jelly and he was falling down. Count on the reliable shield to catch him before he got hurt, though, "Whoa! Careful, sunshine!" He wasn't sure if his face could turn even redder than it already had but if so, it sure did right now, laying in Gladio's arms like a lifeless bag. Still not able to feel his legs he just looked up at Gladio's manly face and wondered for the umpteenth time if this was real or just another one of his dreams.

"Hey!" he heard Noct's pouting voice, "Why is everyone getting French kisses except for me?" The shield chuckled and Prompto tried to finally steady himself again. Gladio looked over his shoulder and shouted, "Don't worry, Princess. I would never forget you!" before he whispered towards Prompto, "You able to stand again?"   
The blonde only nodded, not trusting his voice and honestly not trusting his legs either but he wanted to see Gladio kissing Noct. He had dreamed about this as well. Seeing the always cool and carefree Noct losing himself as he clutched onto his strong shield. 

As soon as Gladio let go of him, Ignis appeared at his side, holding him by his hips instead. He looked up to the advisor and wanted to thank him but the other seemed so concentrated on what was happening before them, that he didn't dare to speak up, afraid to destroy the moment. Instead, he looked up ahead as well and saw how Gladio slowly stalking over to their prince, like a beast cornering his pray. The two men never broke their eye contact even as Gladio pressed his lips down onto the prince's and ravished his mouth with his tongue. There appeared to be a struggle for power between them before Noct finally gave in, closed his eyes and a high-pitched moan left his mouth as he desperately grabbed the shield's white tank top with his fists. As they parted again after a short while, a slight trail of saliva found its way down Noct's chin before Gladio wiped it away with his thumb, licking his digit afterwards, a broad smirk on his face. Prompto didn't know why but this gesture sent a shudder down his spine. 

The prince continued to stare at his shield for another moment before he cleared his throat and asked with a slightly husky voice, "You guys... wanna come in?"  
"Certainly," he heard Ignis answer beside him immediately and Gladio nodded. But Noctis didn't move an inch, his brain probably still catching up with everything just like Prompto's brain did as well.   
"You should unlock the door then, Princess" Gladio teased. This got Noct out of his trance and he did as he was told at once, "S-sure!"  
Prompto was glad for Ignis's arm around his waist as they entered Noct's apartment because he still felt a little drowsy. 

As they stood inside the large flat at a loss at what to do next, Gladio casually dropped down to the large couch, "Don't just stand there like a startled deer in the headlights. Let's sit down and look through Prom's photos. I wanna see these _legendary_ golden faucets."  
This cut through the tension and they all laughed as they sat down next to Gladio, huddled up around Prompto's camera as he started to browse through today's photos. He wasn't sure what the next days would bring. But a strong hand on his thigh, a pointy chin casually laying on his shoulder and slender fingers shyly linking with his own made him feel warm inside. Yes, this was real and it was going to be better than he ever dreamed of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand that's it!
> 
> Prompt 3 is kind of a continuation for this one, so stay tuned! (Might not post it this week, because my beta reader needs more time!)   
> And I have already some ideas for even more stories following this timeline. Maybe I'll write them and turn this into a longer series :D
> 
> This is the longest fanfic I've written so far.   
> Feedback is always welcome! Was there something you particularly liked or disliked? Feel free to tell me! Thanks ^-^

**Author's Note:**

> [Check out my Profile to find me on Tumblr or Twitter!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophiaHoppia/profile)   
> 


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